CHAPTER III
DICK'S RESOLVE
"What do you know about that?"
"A regular course in aviation!"
"And birdmen from the United States Army to came here and show us howto do stunts!"
"Well, you fellows can go in for it if you like, but automobiling isdangerous enough sport for me."
"Ah, what's the matter with you? Flying is pretty nearly as safe nowas walking! Not half as many birdmen have been killed as there haverailroad travelers."
"No, because there are more railroad travelers to be killed. No cloudflights for mine!"
A group of cadets, Dick, Innis and Paul among them, were discussing thelatest news at Kentfield.
It was the day following the accident to the biplane. After a briefconsultation with Mr. Vardon, and a calling together of his facultymembers, Colonel Masterly had made formal announcement that a course inaviation would be open at Kentfield for those who cared to take it.
"I think it will be great!" cried Dick.
"Are you going in for it?" asked Paul.
"I sure am--if dad will let me."
"Oh, I guess he will all right," spoke Innis, "He lets you do almostanything you want to--in reason. But I know a certain person who WILLobject."
"Who?" asked Dick, fondling his dog.
"Your Uncle Ezra!"
"I guess that's so!" laughed Dick. "He'll say it's expensive, and allthat sort of thing, and that I'll be sure to break my neck, or at leastfracture an arm. But we saw one accident that came out pretty well. Ithink I'll take a chance."
"So will I!" cried Paul.
"I guess you can count me in," agreed Innis, slowly.
"How about it, Larry?" asked Dick, as the young reporter came acrossthe campus. "How does it feel to sail above the clouds?"
"Well, I haven't yet gone up that far. This is only about my fifthflight, and we only did 'grass cutting' for the first few--that isgoing up only a little way above the ground. I had to get used to itgradually.
"But it's great! I like it, and you're only afraid the first fewminutes. After that you don't mind it a bit--that is not until you getinto trouble, as we did."
"And I can't understand that trouble, either," said Mr. Vardon, who hadjoined the group of cadets. "Something went wrong!"
"You mean something was MADE to go wrong," put in Jack Butt, who hadnow recovered sufficiently to be about.
"Something made to go wrong?" repeated Dick Hamilton, wonderingly.
"That's what I said. That machine was tampered with before we startedon our flight. I'm sure of it, and if we could get it up from thebottom of the river I could prove it."
"Be careful," warned the aviator. "Do you know what you are saying,Jack? Who would tamper with my machine?"
"Well, there are many who might have done it," the machinist went on."Some of the mechanics you have discharged for not doing their workproperly might have done it. But the fellow I suspect is that youngarmy officer who got huffy because you wouldn't explain all about yourequalizing gyroscope, or stabilizer."
"Oh--you mean him?" gasped the aviator.
"That's the man," declared Jack. "He went off mad when you turned himdown, and I heard him muttering to himself about 'getting even.' I'msure he's the chap to blame for our accident."
"I should dislike to think that of anyone," said Mr. Vardon, slowly."But I am sure something was wrong with my aircraft. It had workedperfectly in other trials, and then it suddenly went back on me. Ishould like a chance to examine it."
"We'll try and give you that chance," said Colonel Masterly, who cameup at that moment. "We are to have a drill in building a pontoonbridge across the river tomorrow, and I will order it thrown across thestream at the point where your airship went down. Then we may be ableto raise the craft."
"That will be fine!" exclaimed the airship man. "I may even be able tosave part of my craft, to use in demonstration purposes. I may even beable, to use part of it in building another. It was a fine machine,but something went wrong."
"Something was made to go wrong!" growled Jack Butt. "If ever we raiseher I'll prove it, too."
"Well, young gentlemen, I suppose you have heard the news?" questionedthe colonel, as the aviator-inventor and his helper walked off to oneside of the campus, talking earnestly together.
"You mean about the airship instruction we are to get here, sir?" askedDick.
"That's it. And I am also glad to announce that I have heard from thewar department, and they are going to send some army aviators here togive us the benefit of their work, and also to show some of you cadetshow to fly."
There was a cheer at this, though some of the lads looked a bit dubious.
"Are you really going in for it, Dick?" asked Innis, after there hadbeen an informal discussion among the colonel and some of the boysabout the aviation instruction.
"Well, I am, unless I change my mind," replied Dick, with a smile. "Ofcourse, after I make my first flight, if I ever do, it may be my lastone."
"Huh! You're not taking a very cheerful view of it," retorted Innis,"to think that you're going to come a smash the first shot out of thelocker."
"Oh, I didn't mean just that," replied Dick, quickly. "I meant that Imight lose my nerve after the first flight, and not go up again."
"Guess there isn't much danger of you losing your nerve," said PaulDrew, admiringly. "I've generally noticed that you have it with you onmost occasions."
"Thanks!" exclaimed Dick, with a mock salute.
Strolling over the campus, Dick and his chums talked airships andaviation matters until it was time for guard-mount.
During the next day or two it might have been noticed that DickHamilton was rather more quiet than usual. In fact his chums didnotice, and comment on it. A number of times they had seen the youngmillionaire in a brown study, walking off by himself, and again hecould be observed strolling about, gazing earnestly up at the cloudsand sky.
"Say, I wonder what's come over Dick?" asked Paul of Innis oneafternoon.
"Blessed if I know," was the answer, "unless he's fallen in love."
"Get out! He's too sensible. But he sure has something on his mind."
"I agree with you. Well, if he wants to know he'll tell us."
So they let the matter drop for the time being. But Dick's abstractiongrew deeper. He wrote a number of letters, and sent some telegrams,and his friends began to wonder if matters at Dick's home were notaltogether right.
But the secret, if such it could be called, was solved by theunexpected arrival of Mr. Hamilton at Kentfield. He appeared on thecampus after drill one day, and Dick greeted his parententhusiastically.
"So you got here, after all, Dad?" he cried, as he shook hands, Pauland Innis also coming over to meet the millionaire.
"Well, I felt I just had to come, Dick, after all you wrote andtelegraphed me," replied Mr. Hamilton. "I thought we could do betterby having a talk than by correspondence. But, I tell you, frankly, Idon't approve of what you are going to do."
Dick's chums looked curiously at him.
"I may as well confess," laughed the young millionaire, "I'm thinkingof buying an airship, fellows."
"Whew!" whistled Paul.
"That's going some, as the boys say," commented Innis. "Tell us allabout it."
"I will," said Dick, frankly. "It's been on my mind the last few days,and--"
"So that's been your worry!" interrupted Paul. "I knew it wassomething, but I never guessed it was that. Fire ahead."
"Ever since your cousin came here, Innis, in his craft, and since thecolonel has arranged for aviation instruction, I've been thinking ofhaving an airship of my own," Dick resumed. "I wrote to dad about it,but he didn't seem to take to the idea very much."
"No, I can't say that I did," said Mr. Hamilton, decidedly. "Iconsider it dangerous."
"It's getting more safe every day, Dad. Look how dangerousautomobiling was at the start, and yet that's nearly perfect now,though of
course there'll always be accidents. But I won't go in forthis thing, Dad, if you really don't want me to."
"Well, I won't say no, and I'll not say yes--at least not just yet,"said Mr. Hamilton slowly. "I want to think it over, have a talk withsome of these 'birdmen' as you call them, and then you and I'llconsider it together, Dick. That's why I came on. I want to know moreabout it before I make up my mind."
Mr. Hamilton became the guest of the colonel, as he had done on severaloccasions before, and, in the following days, he made as careful astudy of aviation as was possible under the circumstances. He also hadseveral interviews with Mr. Vardon.
"Have you decided to let your son have an airship of his own?" thecolonel asked, when the millionaire announced that he would start forNew York the following morning.
"Well, I've been thinking pretty hard about the matter," was theanswer. "I hardly know what to do. I'm afraid it's only another oneof Dick's hare-brained ideas, and if he goes in for it, he'll come acropper.
"And, maybe, on the whole, it wouldn't be a bad idea to let him go infor it, and make a fizzle of it. It would be a good lesson to him,though I would certainly regret, exceedingly, if he were even slightlyinjured.
"On the other hand Dick is pretty lucky. He may come out all right. Isuppose he'll go in and try to win some prizes at these aviation meetsthey hold every once in a while."
"Yes, there are to be several," spoke the colonel. "I heard somethingabout the government offering a big prize for a successfultrans-continental flight--from the Atlantic to the Pacific, but I knownothing of the details."
"Well, I suppose Dick would be rash enough to try for that, if he hearsabout it," murmured Mr. Hamilton. "I guess, taking it on all sides,that I'll let him have an airship, if only to prove that he can't workit. He needs a little toning down, most young chaps do, I fancy. Iknow I did when I was a lad. Yes, if he makes a fizzle of it, thelesson may be worth something to him--throwing his money away on anairship. But I'll give my consent."
And when Dick was told by his parent, not very enthusiastically, thathe might secure an aircraft, the young cadet's delight was great.
"That's fine!" he cried, shaking hands heartily with his father.
"Well, I hope you succeed in flying your machine, when you get it, but,as the Scotchman said, 'I have my doubts,'" said Mr. Hamilton, grimly.
"Humph!" mused Dick later. "Dad doesn't think much of me in theaviator class, I guess. But I'll go in for this thing now, if only toshow him that I can do it! I've done harder stunts, and if theHamilton luck doesn't fail, I'll do this. I'll make a long flight, andput one over on dad again. He thinks I can't do it--but I'll show himI can!" exclaimed Dick, with sparkling eyes.
Dick communicated his father's decision to Paul and Innis.
"I'm going to have an airship!" he cried. "It wasn't easy to get dad'sconsent, but he gave it. Now, how about you fellows coming on a cruisein the clouds with me?"
"Say, how big a machine are you going to have?" Paul wanted to know.
"Well, my ideas are rather hazy yet," admitted the young millionaire,"but if I can get it built, it's going to be one of the biggestairships yet made. We'll travel in style, if we travel at all," hesaid, with a laugh. "I'm thinking of having an aircraft with some sortof enclosed cabin on it."
"Say, that will be quite an elaborate affair," commented Innis.
"The question is, will you fellows take a chance with me in it?" askedDick.
"Well, I guess so," responded Paul, slowly.
Innis nodded in rather a faint-hearted fashion.
"Now," said Dick, "I want to see--"
He was interrupted by shouts in the direction of the river.
"There she is!"
"She's floating down!"
"Let's get her!"
A number of cadets were thus crying out.
"Come on!" yelled Dick. "Something's happened! Maybe my motor-boat isadrift!"